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Overheating after a case-full of fuel
Purple Martin - June 2nd, 2003 at 09:03 AM

Some of you may remember that last week a leaking needle valve filled my engine's case with fuel.

This weekend I replaced the needle valve, did an oil-change, replaced the oil filter, and cold-cranked it. I drove the kombi about 3km to a mate's house, and then looked at the engine to check there were no big oil leaks.

The engine smelled hot, and there were wisps of smoke coming out through the fan and tinware. The new oil filter was only just warm, and the fresh oil at the bottom of the dipstick was only just warm too.

Obviously I haven't driven it since - I don't want to cook it. What's gone wrong?

TIA

pyr0 - June 2nd, 2003 at 11:53 AM

maybey some left over fuel or oil in there ???

Purple Martin - June 2nd, 2003 at 11:56 AM

In where?

Bizarre - June 2nd, 2003 at 02:50 PM

are you sure you havent just spilled some oil on the exhaust or something?

The touch test is usually pretty conclusive

sound like oil on heat exchangers. Could it have thinned your oil right down and leaked out the rocker cover gaskets?

Purple Martin - June 2nd, 2003 at 03:22 PM

I just spoke to my local mechanic and he agrees with you about spilled oil (well not "spilled" exactly). When the fuel was leaking out of the carbie it would have washed old oil and muck down over the heat exchangers and exhaust manifolds. I don't know if anything leaked out of the gaskets but it certainly did thin the oil right down: so much fuel leaked into the case that it overflowed out of the dipstick tube.

So it seems I'm worrying about nothing: there's oil on the outside of the engine, and if I drive around for a while it'll smell and smoke while it burns off.

Bizarre - June 2nd, 2003 at 03:32 PM

so all is happy?

every one lived happily ever after?

Purple Martin - June 2nd, 2003 at 03:33 PM

lol yes thanks! I was panicking over nothing.

555bug - June 4th, 2003 at 01:19 PM

the same bloody thing just happend to me yesterday :( I parked my bug at my parents for a week on their steep driveway. When I cam to pick it up it was out of fuel and would hardly run. I pulled the dip stick and it was full it had pissed oil/fuel out the breather and anywhere else it could manage. I replaced the pic 34 with a 30/31 i had and i threw in a 009 ans some fresh oil. Its up and running again but what a giant pain in the ass. I know your pain.